A Successful Failure
by YA.Angel
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia wants to become a famous celebrity, but she has no talents at all. After getting rejected by various auditions, she ends up living as a low-class loser until she meets Natsu, a janitor who works at Fairy Tail, the most luxurious hotel resort in all of Fiore. This may be her chance to get close to the celebrity spotlight, even if it doesn't shine on her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail, it's characters, plot, and anything else that is from the series, and all rights go to Hiro Mashima.

The only thing that belongs to me here is the plot and setting. I think everyone knows how to distinguish between what's mine and the original creator's materials, so I don't need to explain that part much.

Anyways, without further ado, I now present to you…

* * *

**A Successful Failure**

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Bimbo's Dream**

* * *

"_THAT _sucked," said the judge. "I have never, _EVER, _heard or seen someone as horrible as you and I can't possibly see how _anyone _could ever emulate the performance as bad as you did today."

Is what the judge just said to her in front of the whole audience of people who probably thought she was horrible now as well and there probably wouldn't be a second chance anymore, seeing as this _was _already her third chance and there isn't a second chance after a third chance because that wouldn't make _any _damn sense. That's just really stupid.

The young blonde-haired teenager picked up her props, which consisted of a whip and a chain of fake golden keys, before lowering her head in thanks for their time and quickly paced off of the polished, wooden set to escape her humiliation behind the large curtains of mahogany. A few other women who haven't had their turn of the audition tried to make eye contact, but she just shielded their gazes with her bangs. After completely exiting the building, she sped towards the alleyway behind the backdoor and quickly looked around for signs of any people before kicking the side of the cement wall as hard as she could.

"OW!" she immediately gripped her throbbing foot as the pain seeped through to her knees. Coupled with her current emotions, which are obviously anger and humiliation, the young woman is currently one of the angriest people on Fiore. "Dammit!"

She had lost count of how many auditions she had performed for, and how her right leg seems to have grown _twice_ its original size from kicking various walls because of her failure to land a gig at any of them, which includes this one as one can tell. They all told her the same things, "You're bad at acting, you're bad at singing, and you have no talent at all. You should _never _have attempted show business, it's just not your calling."

Lucy Heartfilia stood up, dusted off her blue skirt, and clenched her fists so hard that she stopped because it started to hurt her palm, she couldn't even clench with determination without messing things up. What a total fail. It looked cooler in Lacrima shows, but that's just acting and Mavis _knows _that she sucked at acting. Still, there was no way she was going to give up, her dreams were reachable, she was young, and she had her determination.

"I ran away from home and gave up my future _just _to follow my dreams," she huffed. "And I'm not going to let any of my sacrifices go to waste. I'm not going to end up working at a fast food restaurant even if it _fucking _kills me."

Memories of her father threatening her flowed into her thoughts the very moment she said the magic word, "fast food restaurant". He scolded her for pursuing her dreams to become an actress because it's "unrealistic" and she would end up unemployed. Back then, Lucy didn't know about the real world and how cruel it was, she just wanted to be loved by fans.

Living alone in the big city wasn't that easy, at least that's not how the media portrayed the city lifestyle. She had to pay for rent, bills, and somehow keep herself from starving with the little money she had left. To her, if she could land one gig, then she knew she would become the famous celebrity she had always dreamed of and finally be appreciated for her existence.

Yet somehow, that didn't seem like the real reason she wanted to become a celebrity. Well, becoming one is pretty fucking awesome too, but maybe there was a deeper meaning to it and she wouldn't stop until she found it. _What was she saying? _This stuff sounds cheesy anyway, just stupid angsty drama from Lacrima Vision shows.

With that, the so-called "newly fired up" Lucy casually walked out of the alleyway and off towards the sunset as cool as she could because actors in action movies did so as well. With her resolution at hand and one foot the size of a melon, the fierce, young lady disappeared into the light of a new dawn. Nothing would stand in the way of her dreams, _nothing._

_And she could feel it._

* * *

"Here's your seasoned boar grill and side of veggies sir," Lucy winked. "We're terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, our cook has his hands full, and tonight's discount night, so please understand our situation."

The man who had waited impatiently for his meal snatched his food from her hands and told her off while mumbling about how restaurants these days have the worst customer services. Lucy wasn't fazed by this rudeness at all, she was used to being treated inferiorly by her customers. It was her job. The customers weren't there to love the waitress, they were there to _feel better _about themselves. All she had to do was say "yes sir or mam" and smile as wide as her facial muscles would let her because she was a waitress and they were inferior to customers.

Hell, even the owner of the restaurant is considered inferior to customers because Mavis forbid they run out of business, which is all the owner cares about. So if the owner is inferior to the customer on the hierarchical scale of social structure, she would be on the shit tier, just above the scum because shit can at least fertilize the vegetables fed to the customers.

"Waitress, over here!"

"Yes, coming!"

Lucy scurried over to the source of the call, which was a table inhabited by a rather tall, but abnormally thin gentleman whose face looked like it was on the verge of melting. His posture suggested that he was a wannabe socialite who tries to convince others that his carefully positioned fingers clasped together was sophisticated. Yet he failed at that. Nice hat though.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked in the most polite way possible, almost fake British.

The man wasted no time getting to the point, "There's a fly in my soup."

"I-I'm sorry?"

He let out a deep and slow sigh, "I said, there is a fly here. Dead in my soup."

The blonde waitress slowly shifted her eyes from the man's beady eyes down to where his bony finger was pointing at. Cradled atop the white thickness of the clam chowder, laid a black dot with wings. The fly had apparently struggled to escape its sticky prison as there were tiny black sticks surrounding it, which got pulled off by the soup's unrelenting will to be embraced by the insect forever. A touching tale, one would think, right?

"We'll get you a new one right away sir," Lucy bowed her head apologetically. "Would there be anything else I could do for you?"

"I _said _there's a fly in my damn soup!" the man ignored her question by slamming his fists down on the table, swiping the bowl of chowder as well, which flew with joy and hugged the black coat of the man before it. A splash of white and the smell of seafood was noticeable to Lucy as she watched in horror at the events that just transpired.

"Um…sir?" she knew there would be no way to console him now. He has officially gone past the point of no return and she saw it when his whole face changed from its natural color to a bright red. Would another bowl of soup help him?

It didn't help that Lucy could feel the eyes of other people piercing towards her way, followed by gasps, snickers, and a few "holy shits!" Who could blame them? At least they're safe from whatever will happen to her now, which isn't going to end well.

She knew because she saw scenes like these from the movies and the waitress would end up fired for her doing absolutely nothing. She then has to find a new job, which seems like an easy thing to do in the movies, but in real life? Ha, hell no. The actors were lucky and it's their job, Lucy wasn't an actress, she was a waitress and she isn't lucky, she was sucky.

"Lucy, what happened here?"

The blonde waitress cringed, recognizing her manager's voice because this whole fiasco wouldn't be without a punishment on its way. A whole fist of punishments has probably set its coordinates to bomb the country of Lucy, and it would be a one-sided war.

"Lucy, I asked you, what is going on—," the voice was cut off by a few seconds of loud silence, followed by a loud, walrus-like thump on the floor. The manager had fainted. She was probably traumatized by the whole image of the crime scene and her heart couldn't take it. Lucy didn't even want to look beside her, she didn't like seeing fainted people. Stupid Lucy.

* * *

Lucy was a blonde. Most people think blondes are dumb, _especially _female blondes because they just are. It's been written in the unwritten book of societal rules ever since the first descendants of the blondes graced the land of Fiore. And in the center of today's civilization, Miss Heartfilia was the biggest bimbo of all. If there was an award that existed just for that achievement, Lucy would be the immediate victor. _She's so lucky._

Manager let out a long depressing breath as Lucy's hands pulled and untied the knots held within the manager's deltoids. She signaled wither her grubby fingers for Lucy to stop and stretched out her back, and the spinal cord sang with its crackling voice before the woman sat back down on her wooden chair which squealed a creak from her weight.

"Lucy, it wasn't your fault," the manager blurted. "You explained to me what really happened and I believe you."

"Yeah but…" Lucy's response was halted by her manager's shaking head.

"Don't worry about what that man thinks of this place now," manager reassured the pseudo-bimbo. "All that matters is that you told me the truth and let's just forget about it, alright?"

Lucy's shoulders relaxed in relief. Manager's always got wise words for her and it's nice to have an old lady to talk to because old ladies just seem easier to have conversations with, they seem to _understand _a young woman's feelings.

"Besides, you're a great waitress and everyone loves your service skills," the granny stated. "You've got a natural talent for that."

"Manager, what do _you _think of customers like that man?" Lucy asked suddenly. "You never seem to reveal your feelings on them."

The manager's eyes shifted from a wide-eyed appearance to a more distant and thoughtful glance. Perhaps this question wasn't asked very often to her or maybe she didn't like these types of questions. Of course! Old ladies don't hate anyone! They're too kind and innocent to feel hatred for others, a truly nice person indeed!

"They're like a piece of shit."

Which surprised Lucy, "You think so?"

Manager nodded her head eagerly, "Totally, they think they're better than us because they order us around and shit, but once they go back to their jobs, they're just like us." The old woman of sixty began to light a cigarette, which Lucy thought was cool because cool people in movies _always _smoked cigarettes. "Honestly, I feel pity for those little puppies because they need to take out their anger on others to feel better. So it's kind of our job to provide that stress relief for them, strange huh?"

"I guess that's true…" added Lucy. "I understand how someone would feel if a job's tough and they can't do anything about it."

"Precisely girly," the manager blew out a stream of white smoke. "So there's no need to truly hate anyone for whatever reason unless they're a scumbag just to be a scumbag. Then, you're granted permission to whip their asses into shape!" Her laugh was followed by a screechy cough.

Lucy looked at her watch to see that it was an hour over her curfew, and she needed to get back to her apartment as the evening isn't so pleasant. Especially for a bimbo-looking girl like her.

"Lucy."

"Yes, manager?"

The old woman smiled, her teeth had rotted from the years of smoking and the dentures were obvious from anyone's eyes that signaled her old age. The webs of her skin were so saggy, that they were prone to flapping in the wind.

"You're twenty years old," the manager puffed. "You shouldn't be worrying about financial crap. You should be making yourself up and trying out cute skirts."

"Thanks, manager," Lucy picked up her brown sack and gave a wave before thrusting out the back door.

Letting go of a most anticipated sigh of relief, Lucy stretched out her bones and made her way out to the summery night. Manager's words stuck to her cranium like leeches, _"You should be making yourself and trying out cute skirts."_ What a cheesy conversation. As she made her way to the old apartment complex, Lucy noticed the hordes of people in fancy suits and dresses make their way like ants towards the largest building in Magnolia, _Fairy Tail._

Of course the high class people would go there, Fairy Tail is one of _the _most popular hotel resorts in Fiore and many celebrities like Jenny Realight reserve there because it's so expensive, but luxurious. If only she had become an actress like she had wanted a few years ago, then she would experience how amazing the hotel is with its top notch services by hot guys, five star cuisines, and spas that are just like from a fairy tale. She would even be content with just being able to work there! Oh well, a loser like her is never going to be allowed entry there.

Shaking her head to clear her stupid fantasies, she sensed a strange aura burrowing into her skull from above. She tilts her head to notice a young man standing on a platform that hung from one of the glass windows of the hotel. He was wearing a large blue jumpsuit that was clearly unfitting and in his hands was a long windshield wiper. His hair was a quiver of pink porcupine quills that seemed to point in all directions, but swayed softly like sunflowers in the winter breeze. The neon lights atop the large building further enhanced his features and gave him a glow like a passionate flame burning beautifully outward…

Lucy shook her head. _What the hell am I thinking? He's a freaking janitor for crying out loud!_

"Hey, no trespassing allowed."

Lucy snapped right back into reality at the voice. _Wha?_

"I'm talking to you, blondie," the voice came from the pink haired janitor. There were hints of amusement in the man's expression, shown by his curious gaze and semi-grin.

She didn't expect someone to notice her, let alone strike up a conversation, yet did not realize how close she was to the entrance of the fabulous hotel until he had spoken to her. The blonde immediately jumped back in surprise, but unfortunately lost her footing and her butt landed right smack on the cement sidewalk.

"Ow…" she rubbed the source of her pain, but immediately stopped when she realized her embarrassing predicament and bolted right up. The bruise on her derriere throbbing as fast as her heart was pounding at the moment.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" she snapped. "You just surprised me, that's all!"

"Well, _SORRY _for my surprising you for trespassing forbidden grounds!" he retaliated. "Commoners like you shouldn't be wandering around, ya know."

_C-commoner? _Who the hell was he to call _her _a commoner when he was clearly a commoner himself!

"I'm sorry, but that was rude," Lucy defended her social status on the hierarchy of class in Magnolia, which was clearly on the lower end as well. "I barely even know you."

"Kay, kay, don't get so ruffled up about it. I'm just doing my job, that's all," he gestured with his hands in a "pushing away" motion and a hint of annoyance that was demonstrated in his rolled back eyes.

The blonde didn't want to spend any more time with this rude, _commoner _anymore, she had work the following day and sleep would be most welcome in her state of exhaustion at the moment. Without even a gesture of farewell, Lucy turned around and began to walk away from the hotel and the janitor. Yet, she knew she wasn't able to get away that easily from a conversation as she barely took three steps when the pinkheaded dude's voice reached her ears.

"It's not polite to walk away when someone's speaking to you."

Lucy's head slowly twisted around to meet the janitor's now-smiling face. He looked like he was enjoying this, she looked like she was about to kill somebody, and that somebody would most likely be the irritating janitor.

Strangely, his question surprised her. "I didn't catch your name, blondie."

"W-what?" the pseudo-bimbo coughed. "I mean, it's um, Lucy and stop calling me blondie."

"Loo-see," he emphasized the syllables in her name. "So your name means 'toilet-see'"?

Loo-see closed her eyes and crunched her teeth, an angry bead of sweat rolling down her neck. _The nerve of this guy…_

"Cool Lucy, I'm Natsu and I'm glad to meet you," he smiled.

"Y-yeah? I mean, nice to meet you as well," Lucy was stumbling to find the right words to counter this "Natsu" who didn't make any sense, had taken up quite a bit of her time this evening, and this wasn't even a date!

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "Well? If you're not here for a job, what are you waiting for? Scram."

That does it, she wouldn't speak to him after this. Lucy quickly swirled around, lifted up her chin in a pouting manner, and stalked off. _This guy…how bothersome!_

She told herself she didn't want to see him again because he's an "annoying low-life" janitor who doesn't know how to mind his own business and was probably a closet pervert trying to pick up innocent girls like her! Yet, somewhere within her heart, there seemed to be a warmth that emanated out and flowed all around her body. As if the passionate fire of the mysterious Natsu had caught on her and heated up her tender heart…

_What the hell was she thinking?! _

Lucy quickly turned in her clumped up bed sheets and tried to fall asleep, but there was just one thing on her mind. No, not Natsu because he's an "annoying low-life janitor" who probably is a closet pervert. Yes, there was something that might be her one way ticket into stardom and her dreams of being cheered on by devout fans could become a reality! She laughed maliciously atop her soft pillow as she dreamed of walking on the red carpet.

She was going to apply for work at Fairy Tail and become the actress she had always wanted to be. She'll show everyone that she was more than just a commoner, she'll show the low-life janitor, Manager, and more importantly, her father, what she was capable of. She was going to transform this failure into a success and she could feel it in her bones.

_But for some odd reason, her idea of success wouldn't be what was in store for her._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: **Hello everyone! I finally decided on the scheduled updates for this story, which will be weekly starting today (for the most part). So I hope my readers are content with this method of progressing my story as it's going to be a fairly long story (based on the plot I have planned out or so I think).

Also, this story will have an eventual romance, so please be patient for it to blossom ;)

**By the way: **I am so thankful for those who have favorited and followed this story as it shows that my story is actually enjoyed by others, which motivates me further! Also, thank you **Melody233 **for being my first reviewer, it means so much to me! I hope more people will give me feedback and constructive criticism on my story as it progresses to make it better.

Enough talking from me, let's get on with the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 2: That's Not How It's Supposed to Be**

* * *

"W-what are you doing here?" Lucy was flabbergasted. Why did she have to meet _Natsu _of all people when all she wanted to do was get into the hotel, grab the application, fill it out, and hand it back? He would probably cause the whole process to become more complicated than it already was.

"You're the one who saw me and had to make a big deal out of it," the pink haired janitor argued innocently. "I happen to work here, you know."

It pissed her off that she had to end up encountering him the instant she entered through the golden gates of Fairy Tail resort, but the janitor was right, if she had ignored him and had minded her own business, this little event wouldn't have transpired. Well, since she was already here, she might as well ask Natsu how to get a job at the luxury hotel.

"Do you know if Fairy Tail is hiring by any chance?" the blonde ventured cautiously. To Lucy, the whole situation couldn't get any worse. She was asking the freaking _janitor_ if the five-star hotel resort was hiring. Why couldn't she have met with some attractive and professional customer representative instead?

"Why are you asking me?" Natsu twirled the polished mop with impressive coordination before slamming it down on the blindingly shiny surface of the marble tiles below them. "I'm just the janitor, you should be asking her."

Lucy's eyes followed his extended finger towards a rather poised-looking woman who sat behind a large circular desk. She was everything Lucy had imagined of someone who was employed at Fairy Tail. The woman's brownish-blonde locks were perfectly straightened and glistened with elegance even though it was tied up in a bun. Her glasses only enhanced her flawless complexion which seemed to glow alongside her magenta-red lips. Not to mention her voluptuous figure was tightly fitted with a blue blouse and the only thing that Lucy could stare at were the woman's breasts which were somewhat visible beneath her unbuttoned undershirt. The blonde waitress glanced down at her own body, a pang of admiration and jealousy shot through her because she did not look like _that._

"Hey, Fiore to Ms. Commoner."

"W-wha?" Lucy landed back onto reality, which wasn't always a good thing for her when she recognized Natsu's face in front of her.

"You were staring at Ever for a long time," he mused. "Are you a lesbian?"

"No!" Lucy raged. "It's just that…she's really beautiful."

"You're not going to get the job if you're just gawking at everyone you see here," the janitor swiped the ground with his expensive-looking mop. "She's one of the representatives. She'll give you the info about applying here. Also, her name's Evergreen, don't forget it."

"Got it, thanks," Lucy gulped. She hasn't been this nervous ever since her last attempt at auditioning for the part of a film, which she was immediately rejected from. Of course, that was after she was rejected a million times before which became an odd routine for the young woman. Something about the way this "Evergreen" was filing the stacks of papers bothered her. It almost seemed _magical. _Taking a deep breath, Lucy began to venture towards the secretary when she was immediately stopped by _his _voice again. She turned around to see Natsu smiling.

"Yeah well, good luck," he scratched the back of his head as if he wasn't sure whether he said the right thing or not, but didn't wait for her answer as he quickly stalked off the other way, albeit almost tripping over his mop at the same time.

_What's his problem? _She thought. Oh well, she shrugged it off and slowly approached the woman, this time, without interference. She slung off her bag and placed it on the large gray counter before mustering up her courage to speak. "I'm here to apply for a job!"

"What position are you applying for?" Evergreen did not look up from her stack of paper.

"Um, modeling?"

The hairs on Lucy's neck rose as the secretary's eyes swiftly lifted off the files and flashed onto the blonde's body with observance. Evergreen seemed to rip apart at every inch of Lucy's figure, eyes shifting back and forth, with an occasional "hmm" here and there, and readjustment of her glasses as if to get a better view. Lucy wasn't given much of a chance to relax when the secretary asked her _that question._

"Are you confident in your acting skills?" Evergreen's eyes drilled into Lucy's.

"Well…I've auditioned for some companies, so I can say I've had experience in acting."

"And?" the secretary's question bore into the blonde's mind. "Have you played any notable roles in any films, commercials, etc.? If so, would you care to provide some examples?"

This was what Lucy had feared the most. She knew that if she wanted to land a role in any video production, she needed to provide samples of her works. The problem was, she didn't have any! She was never granted entry into any of the companies she has auditioned for, they all told her off and that she wasn't meant to be an actress or a model or a talk show host or a freaking mascot for a stupid food channel. Lucy Heartfilia, age 20, current waitress at Magnolia Café, would not and could not become an actress!

Lucy shakily sighed, "Actually, I don't have any experience working in the film industry. I've been rejected by every single place I've been to. I understand if this will bring down my chance at modeling here, so please tell me your decision." It pained Lucy so much to be rejected again, but she had to come to terms with her abilities as someone who wanted to be an actress and possessed no talent to become one.

"I see," Evergreen pondered with a hint of pity in her voice. "I am afraid we will have to turn down your application as we have specific requirements before hiring any models or actors for our commercials. I apologize for any inconveniences."

That was it. Lucy was done with her dreams. There was no other way to get into show biz for her at all. A young woman couldn't become an actress if she didn't possess any talent, the idea finally made sense to her. It was like trying to get someone to fall in love with you, but the person you love is the one who hated you. Now Lucy understood how preposterous her dreams have been. Her father was right, she was an idiot for attempting such an unrealistic goal, and she should have just studied in school to become a doctor or ran a business like him.

"Thank you very much. I'm sorry for wasting your time," Lucy's voice cracked as she tried to smile, her teeth grinding each other. She slung her bag over her shoulder and took off towards the doors. Before she could reach for the handle, a firm grip held her shoulder which stopped her from moving forward. Lucy turned around to meet Natsu's eyes, which drooped with concern. _Ha! _Now the janitor pities her! How worse can this day get, he even stopped her from leaving to rub it in her face.

"What do you want? Let me go," Lucy's head was down to avoid looking at the janitor's face. It disgusted her to think that he would show any sympathy towards her when they were pretty much the same.

"I overheard what Ever said to you," he reminded her. "Are you just going to give up now?"

"Acting's not my thing," she mumbled, it was starting to get harder for her speak. "So, just let me go."

Lucy wanted more than anything to just get away from here. To leave her job as a waitress, to escape the hardships of living alone, and to leave Magnolia altogether. She wanted more than anything to go back to her mansion where the only people who cared for her were the servants.

They were the people who raised her while her father neglected her in favor of making money with his business. It was a big mistake running away from home. She just wanted to drop to her knees and cry. Cry like how she did when her mother would cradle the young girl in her arms and everything would feel better.

_Lucy's still a kid. _

What she did not realize was that she was actually crying right now, but the tears drowned out everything she could see through her eyes. The only thing that comforted her was the darkness and…her mother.

She could feel the strong arms of her mother as they wrapped around her frail body and all she could do was cry into her breast. Lucy knew that the person she was embraced by was not her mother, but she didn't care. The young girl only wanted someone to hug her and let herself cry into their shoulder.

* * *

After for what seemed like several hours, Lucy felt much better. Crying her heart out was something she didn't often because there was no time to cry when she was busy with work, paying bills, and doing grown-up work in a grown-up world. Everything would bottle up inside her and when she did cry, everything would erupt with her emotions and she wouldn't be able to control herself.

Even after she was finished composing herself, she didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want this moment to end, she didn't want her _mother_ to leave her again, like she did many years ago. But she couldn't waste any more time, the person was probably surprised by her sudden burst and had no choice but to just stand there. She was going to apologize.

"I'm…sorry. I didn't realize I would get so emotional right now…" Lucy's puffy eyes made them difficult to open up, but she could barely make out a clump of pink spikes that loomed above her. "W-wha, what?"

Lucy pushed away from the janitor as soon as she saw realized who she had been in an embrace with, almost falling on the floor while stumbling back. The other was surprised as well, when there was a quick yelp from Natsu as he was suddenly pushed backward without knowing what impression he had left on the blonde commoner. All he did was comfort someone who was in pain, and this was the thanks he gets?

"You. You. YOU LOW-LIFE JANITOR PERVERT!" Lucy thundered. Her voice was so loud that it echoed all around the entire lobby area, causing a few employees and Evergreen to look up at the sudden outrage.

Natsu scratched his head, "What are you talking about? You're the one who grabbed me first!" He too was confused and angry at how the blonde treated him. What did he do to deserve being accused of being a pervert?

"You clearly took advantage of me while I was in my vulnerable state," she accused him. Her face was rose-red and she was fuming from her ears. "I was just trying to leave, when you _had _toappear and do all this lovey-dovey shit! I bet you planned this all along!"

"Fine, fine. I planned all of this. Happy now?" Natsu lied. He didn't want to admit to something he had no intentions for, but this girl was seriously getting on his nerves and the only way out of the problem would be to play the bad guy.

This seemed to relax Lucy, but only a little bit. She wasn't exactly mad at the janitor for doing what he did because she knew he didn't have any lustful intentions, but she also didn't want anybody to get so personal with her when she was in such a state. Admittedly, she was mad at herself for causing this whole predicament and she was actually grateful that Natsu comforted her.

"So…can I leave now?" Lucy queried. "I really should get going."

"Are you sure you're just going to give up without trying?" the pink head questioned. "I mean, there's are other jobs besides modeling here."

"Nah, it's fine," Lucy shook her head. "I came here just for that position. I'm not interested in anything else."

Just as she said this, Evergreen approached them, her heels clacking along the tiles and a white packet of papers in her hands. The secretary appeared to be annoyed with the whole commotion going on in the lobby when all she wanted to do was finish filing the papers for the day and get the hell out of there.

"I didn't realize how much you wanted the job," she said as she handed the form to Lucy. "That's why I decided to give you this."

Lucy examined the stapled packet which had "Fairy Tail Hotel" written in cursive at the top, followed by words and blank boxes that were probably in need of filing out. She could not believe her eyes, they were just handing over the job to her right then and now? Was this a scam or some kind of prank pulled by Natsu?

"W-wait a minute," Lucy struggled to find the words due to excitement. "Are you saying I can model for the hotel's commercial agency?"

Evergreen looked at her in amazement, "Of course not! We already established that you are not cut out to be a model, but we have a special position for you. Just in case you're interested."

Natsu eyed the secretary in suspicion. She wouldn't just hand out the position for a scene like this, but maybe she had a change of heart?

"What sort of position do you have in mind?" asked the ever curious Lucy.

"In order to successfully reach the top, one must start from the bottom," answered Evergreen. "You can't simply think you will get somewhere without hard work, do you?"

"I guess not…" Lucy pondered over the remark.

"This doesn't mean you're going to get the modeling job," Evergreen continued. "I'm just offering you ways to go about different paths than just one way that has been closed off. You don't have to apply, just think about it." With that, the secretary stalked off while mumbling to herself about "commoners".

This situation wasn't what Lucy had in mind, but maybe she could give it a shot? What other goals has she had besides becoming an actress? Perhaps it was time for her to grow up from fantasy land and actually take things seriously and this application would be the gateway to a new destiny for her. She did not realize that Natsu had been silent this whole time being ignored until she noticed his arms folded across his chest and the weird "look" he had while facing away from her.

"Sorry for causing you trouble," she apologized. "You were probably busy with work and I made things more complicated."

She hadn't thought about his feelings this whole time and was worried that maybe he was angry with her for impeding on his workplace, but she was surprised when the pink head just shrugged and laughed.

"Whatever, just don't bother me when I'm working," he inquired. He then turned and eyeballed the packet of paper in her hands. "So, are you thinking of applying still? Your silly dream job was rejected."

"I know that! Mavis, you're just doing this to annoy me, huh?" she retorted. "Anyways, it's not what I had in mind from the start, but since this place is so famous, I might get a chance to be exposed to the celebrity spotlight."

Natsu didn't look too happy with her comment, "I guess that's cool, but there's something you should remember before you jump into things without thinking."

"Hmm, what is it?" she asked curiously.

"Well, think of it this way," he gestured with his hands. "If a peasant fell in love with a princess, would that be alright with the kingdom?" His analogy seemed to be too cheesy, but it was as close as he could think of for what he was about to say.

Lucy scrambled through her brain to come up with an answer, "I would guess not. Especially since the princess's father would rather have her be wed to a prince instead."

"Same here," Natsu nodded. "Someone like me can't be seen around when the big stars come walking in, it just doesn't seem right, you know?"

"That's definitely true," the blonde agreed. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, figure it out for yourself," the pink head yawned. "Anyways, I better get going." Natsu gave her a sort of salute before picking up his mop and walked away. Just as he was about to turn the corner, Lucy called out to him.

"Thanks for the 'you know'," she smiled. "I hope that we can be friends. Actually, wait a sec." Lucy jogged up to a surprised Natsu who was growing tired of her wasting his time, but for some reason, he was happy that she came up to him. The blonde extended her hand out and gave him a big grin that almost seemed fake, but the twinkle in her eyes suggested it was not.

"What is this for?" he asked cautiously as if she had a trap ready for him.

"Just shake it."

Natsu was suspicious at first, so he awkwardly moved his mop to his left hand so that he could shake hers with his right hand, then he too extended with his fingers outstretched until it was close to hers. He had no idea why, but he was starting to sweat and he was uncomfortable underneath the heat of the baggy janitor suit. Then, she grasped his and shook it.

"There," Lucy exclaimed. "We both got off on the wrong foot, but this officially marks our friendship. Got it?"

"Y-yeah," he stumbled. Something felt weird and it was coming from his chest, not too noticeable, but he knew something was there.

"Well, hopefully we'll work together if I do get the job," the blonde waved one final farewell before she floated away through the doors and to the outside, which seemed to shine from a golden blonde sunlight. "Bye, Natsu!"

_Natsu. _

That was the first time she said his name, right? Natsu shook his head. Why did it matter that it was the first time she said his name? He tried to ignore the thoughts that came into his head from the embrace to how she called him by his first name. Nobody had called him by his first name in a _long_ time. The last person who called him by his first name had been, who? It was…it was…

…_It was his girlfriend._


End file.
